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Most aspiring actors tend to move to Los Angeles to help launch their careers. It's an obvious place to start, but once they've established themselves, they have far more financial freedom to live exactly where they want to.

In the case of Angelina Jolie, she grew up in the spotlight at the heart of it all thanks to her showbiz parents, Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the actress shared her true feelings about the city. “Because I grew up around Hollywood, I was never very impressed with it. I never bought into it as significant or important.” While this pragmatism may have been helpful when she was beginning her career, times have changed. “I wouldn’t be an actress today,” Jolie revealed. “When I was starting out, it wasn’t as much of an expectation to be as public, to share so much.”

Currently, Angelina Jolie is living in LA. However, she hopes to relocate once her twins turn 18. Her divorce proceedings with Brad Pitt also kept her in Hollywood longer than she would have wished. “It’s part of what happened after my divorce. I lost the ability to live and travel as freely," she explained. "I will move when I can. I grew up in quite a shallow place. Of all the places in the world, Hollywood is not a healthy place. So you seek authenticity.”

Take a browse to see who else has shunned the LA lifestyle in favor of something quieter, better, or just different!

▲The actor lives with his wife Calista Flockhart ('Ally McBeal') and their son Liam on an eight hundred acre ranch in Jackson, Wyoming.

▲Hugh Jackman lives in Melbourne in his native Australia. He lived there with his wife until their 2023 divorce, and their two children.

▲The actress lives in New Orleans these days, with her adopted son and daughter. She previously lived in Los Angeles and also in Austin, Texas.

▲The legendary actor lives in his native New York City, owning two apartments in the city and a more substantial residence in a small town in New York state.

▲The actor relocated from Los Angeles to Austin, Texas several years ago. He sold his Santa Monica property for nearly US$2 million.

▲The British actor may film in Hollywood but he resides in London. He lived in the celebrity enclave of Highgate until he sold his mansion in 2023.

▲Originally a New Jersey native, and a former resident of Los Angeles, the iconic actress now lives in Connecticut.

▲Despite divorcing his former wife Malaak Compton-Rock in 2016 (after 20 years of marriage), the comedic actor continues to lives in Alpine, New Jersey.

▲The actor has lived with his wife Kathleen in Chelsea, Michigan since the 1980s. They raised three children in Michigan and he has said "he wouldn't have it any other way."

▲A native Londoner, Day-Lewis lives with his wife, filmmaker Rebecca Miller, and their two sons in a small Irish town called Annamoe.

▲Hailing from London, Ontario, the actress lived in Los Angeles for several years before returning to Canada. She now lives in Toronto.

▲The funnyman resides in Charleston, South Carolina. He refuses to have an agent, and instead has an answering machine that takes messages about potential castings.

▲The half-Irish, half-German star lived in London for over two decades. He now resides in Lisbon, Portugal with his wife, actress Alicia Vikander.

▲The New Jersey native lives in Florida with his children.

▲The actress continues to live in Australia with her husband, country star Keith Urban. They also have a residence in Nashville, Tennessee.

▲A native New Yorker, Keitel remains a Brooklyn resident to this day. He lives with his wife, Daphna Kastner (who also works in the entertainment industry).

▲Originally from Glasgow, Scotland, McAvoy has resided in Crouch End, a suburb of north London, for many years.

▲Originally from New Zealand, the actor has resided in Australia for most of his life.

▲The New Jersey native keeps residences in both New York and Vancouver, Canada. She lives with her husband, musician Renn Hawkey, and their son and daughter.

▲Originally from London, he lived in Los Angeles for many years, before deciding to return to live in the United Kingdom.

▲As per her character on 'Sex and the City,' SJP is a New Yorker through and through, despite living in Ohio and Cincinnati as a child.

▲Hemsworth decided to leave Los Angeles several years ago, and now resides with his wife, Spanish actress and model Elsa Pataky, and their three children in Byron Bay, Australia.

▲The native Londoner now divides his time between London and New York City's West Village.

▲Originally from Minnesota, Hartnett now lives with his English partner, actress and model Tamsin Egerton, and their two young children in London.

▲The native New Yorker lives with his wife of 50 years, casting director Georgianne Walken, in Westport, Connecticut. They also have a residence in Rhode Island.

▲The Wisconsin native lives with his wife, actress Sunrise Coigney, and their three children in New York City.

▲Originally from Guelph, Ontario, the Canadian actress now lives in New York City with her partner, actor JJ Feild, and their two children.

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Raised in Columbia, Maryland, the Boston-born actor now resides in New York City with his wife, film producer Shauna Robertson and their son.

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The New York native continues to reside in Manhattan. She lives with her husband Colin Jost and her two children.